Lightning Strikes Twice

Whirlwind Baskbetball tour

2013-01-16T00:00:00+11:00

After my trip to the Staples Center on the 11th, I had a number of other basketball games on the agenda: * St. Mary’s vs USF * Golden State Warriors vs Miami Heat * UCLA Bruins vs Oregon Ducks * USC Trojans vs Oregon State

I enjoyed each of these in different ways. I loved the massive scale and production of the pro-games, and I also loved the fever pitch atmosphere at the college games. I wouldn’t even call one better than the other, just different.

Here are some random notes…

St.Mary’s vs USF

The St. Mary’s campus is beautiful. Spacious and immaculate
The court is tiny and looks like a high school gym. The crowd was big and raucous though.
They really are kids. They obviously very skilled and disciplined, but at the same time, they’re undergoing the same changes all kids their age go through. Must be tough.
Love the community atmosphere. Lots of old timers who were passionately into the game.
The cheerleaders from a small school like St.Mary’s… eh, not so pretty.
Dellavedova is great. Just the leader that I’d been reading about.

Golden State Warriors vs Miami Heat

This was no contest – Miami were by far and away the better team
Unfortunately Steph Curry was injured that day and didn’t play (which may have contributed to the scoreline). Andrew Bogut still injured.
Lebron James almost had a triple double, without playing in the fourth quarter at all. Such an amazing player.
Dwyane Wade is pretty good too!
The vibe and production was huge, but obviously everyone was deflated by the trouncing that the Heat delivered.

UCLA Bruins vs Oregon Ducks

Pauley Pavillion is beautiful. A very well done 13,800 seat stadium, with state of the art signage and jumbotron. The whole package was impressive, and this game was shown on national television. I’d get season tickets if I lived in the area!
The cheerleaders were great! I found them more attractive than the over the top Laker girls.
Had to be seen to be believed: two cheerleaders would do a standing backflip after every successful free throw.
Kyle Anderson seemed very talented, but very lacksadaisacal. Perhaps his style, but just didn’t seem very urgent.
The John Wooden touch is everywhere. I loved the memorabilia on display around the stadium.
Really beautiful LA day, so I watched a bit of the rugby being played outdoors as well.
Some very impressive buildings and architecture on the UCLA campus.

USC Trojans vs Oregon State

USC campus, as I was warned, is not as nice as UCLA. Neither was the Galen center or the cheerleaders (though they were cute).
The crowd was much smaller, but they were still super into it.
A close game, but scrappy. Neither team in the same class as UCLA or Oregon Ducks.
Probabaly the most exciting finish I saw all week though, with USC scoring the go ahead basket with less than 4 seconds left on the clock
Some pretty forgettable pizza afterwards, but got to watch Butler defeat Gonzaga on the big screen while I waited. Also saw Brock Motum in action for Washington State.

Lakers vs OKC

2013-01-11T00:00:00+11:00

I was lucky enough to visit the Staples Center for the Lakers vs OKC match on Friday 11th of January 2013.

I wouldn’t call it a classic matchup, because the Lakers are horrible right now, but it was still incredibly memorable. Watching Kevin Durant effortlessly score 42 points was amazing. Here are some other highlights:

ESPN zone - pretty average food, but good pre-game district nonetheless
Outdoor shootout
Lakers shop - lots of goodies! I had to restrain myself.
Candyman - high fives with the candy man! “Candyman’s the lucky charm!”
2nd row seats - Floyd mayweather right in front of us!
Watching Nick Collison, Nash & Metta World Peace workout
Sitting almost behind Breen & Van Gundy
Sitting next to Jesus from Brazil, here to study for one month
Durant’s baseline jam
Russel Westbrook attitude - “too EASY!”
Buying 10 street vendor t-shirts straight after the game for The Players!

33 years old in basketball jerseys

2012-02-14T00:00:00+11:00

33 today!

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2011 Movies

2011-12-31T00:00:00+11:00

Somewhere - Boring, lazy and obvious. Themes: celebrity can be lonely, being a parent is hard. Meh
Black Swan - Brilliant! Natalie Portman is superb, and the whole story is a twisted but innocent dark thing.
2012 - actually not horrible if you take it as a blockbuster. Generally enjoyed it… very long though.
Animal Kingdom - Really enjoyed this Aussie film about criminal elements and growing up in Melbourne.
Fish Tank - Great – this is what Somewhere could have been. A spacious and measured film about real subjects.
Bridesmaids - rubbish
Ip Man & Ip Man 2 - The first one is a bit better, but the fight scenes in both are great. The story of Ip Man is romanticised, but still good.
Big Fish - Another trip inside Tim Burton’s wacky mind. Enjoyable.
The Player - Disjointed start, and not satisfying overall, but also with interesting moments. It certainly has dated a lot though, stylistically.

Paleo for Programmers

2011-09-25T00:00:00+10:00

Over the last few months, quite a few programmer buds have been asking and talking about paleo. It’s a lifestyle I’ve been following for a couple of years now, so I’m going to share my experiences. I don’t want to sound like a know-it-all (I’m far from it! Still learning a lot), but I may have some interesting points and resources for those new to the idea. Also, this isn’t specifically for programmers, but you guys do seem to be taking this up in droves.

This isn’t an introduction to paleo lifestyles though, and I’m not trying to convert anyone. I’m assuming you’re coming to this having already made a decision and learnt a little. It’s more about a few perspectives to get started and some local (to Sydney) resources. Also, I’m not particularly interested in debates about whether this is a good lifestyle. It works fantastically for me, and I’m assuming you’ve either had good results, or want to run a self-experiment to find out.

What is “paleo”?

Essentially it is a health philosophy that says a lot of modern health issues stem from our lifestyle, from what we eat to how we spend our days. These philosophies also go by the terms “primal” or “archevory”. I also seem to need to point this out explicitly: food and diet are just part of the lifestyle.

Why choose a paleo lifestyle?

You’re interested in your health, perhaps you’re not feeling as well as you know you should, you’ve got some weight to lose, or you see the trajectory that most people’s health takes and decide you want a different future for yourself (that was my inspiration).

How did I come to this lifestyle?

I’ve always been active - playing intense competitive games of basketball 3 to 4 times a week since my teenage years, I’ve also been into running, and have worked out with weight bearing exercise at varying levels of intensity over the last ten years. So for me, my current health was not an issue, but I was worried about my future health. I wanted to be an active, healthy dad to my son (now two sons), throughout their lives, I wanted to keep playing basketball competitively into my thirties. I didn’t want the seemingly inevitable middle age bloat, and other associated health issues.

At the same time, I’d been working out with some Olympic rings recommended to me by a photographer friend. These are great devices if you are on the road a lot (like him) or time poor (like me), since you can train anywhere. These rings were from Aaron McKenzie of Origin of Energy, down in Bondi.

I eventually visited Aaron for training advice. Over a few months he told me what I should be eating, and how I should train and treat my body - he was ALWAYS a treasure trove of information. I just wish I lived closer to Bondi so I could visit more often. Origin of Energy is highly recommended. Get in touch with them at:

While researching some of Aaron’s advice, I came across Mark Sisson of Mark’s Daily Apple. I quickly ordered and demolished his Primal Blueprint book. It was the final piece of the puzzle for me, filling in gaps in my knowledge and convincing me this could truly be a long term lifestyle.

Tips for starting out

I don’t think it matters whether you just dip your toe in or go the whole way (like I did), either way, just get started. A nice way is to commit to changing one meal: take a salad to work every day this week. A salad is easy to make (15 to 20 minutes max), can pack a bunch of variety, and it can teach you a lot about fresh whole food. Just make sure there is plenty of protein in there (large can of tuna/sardines, grilled chicken/steak, boiled eggs), and a decent amount of olive oil in your dressing as a fat source.

Speaking of fat, if you’re cutting your carbs, you’re going to need a lot of fat to keep your energy up. I rely on olive oil for salads and butter or coconut oil for frying or cooking (olive oil burns at too low a temperature to safely cook with).

Make your proteins from as good as source as possible. While the concepts will hold with non-organic meat in the short term, in the long term my reading on the subject suggests that organic, grass fed meat is best (please refer to the resources below for more details on this). Get organic meat from your supermarket (but, remember if it is in a supermarket, it is likely produced in a way to maximise the return, even if it carries an organic label.) For Sydney-siders, try a more boutique source such as Feather & Bone or GRUB. I use Feather & Bone, and while prices are more expensive than a supermarket, it is top notch and you can reduce the cost by getting mince, and cheaper roasting meats which work great for a slow roast.

For produce, nothing beats an organic grocer. In Sydney, I use Lettuce Deliver - (they do meat too, but I prefer to get my meat from Feather & Bone). They have great free range pastured chicken eggs from Clarendon Farms, and Paris Creek cultured yoghurt.

Training

I don’t have any advice different from the experts. Just do short intense workouts. I can say, once I gave up distance running, I felt much better. I run really hard at basketball and lift weights three times a week (up to 250 pounds on squat and deadlift! Not world beating by any means but I’m pretty happy).

I started serious training with just the Olympic rings and a chin up bar. Since then, I’ve added:

Kettlebells (24kg pairs) – pushing and pulling two 24kg kettlebells simultaneously is a great workout! Gym Direct do some with rubber bases that work well for home use.
Medicine ball
Skipping rope
Swiss ball

Not much more equipment needed. I’d love to be able to squat and deadlift at home, but I’m still reliant on a gym for that stuff. I just don’t have room for Olympic barbell exercises.

Then I moved on to Mark Rippetoe’s Starting Strength, which is a fantastic program for really getting strong with barbell training. Definitely get the DVD when you buy the book too. Well worth it. The small amount of weight I lost around my waist when moving to paleo dropped me from size 34 pants to size 32. Then working with Rippetoe’s program made my thighs big enough that I needed size 34 again, just after I’d got rid of all my size 34. Arghgh!

Other parts

Get enough sleep! 8 hours a night minimum. Of course I don’t get enough sleep myself, goddammit, but I do try.
Meditation is good. I’ve actually cut this from my schedule till my Masters studies finish in a couple of months, but I suspect this is a false economy, and that I should have kept it up.
Reduce stress. For me, meditation and thinking “stoically” are good for this, as is my wife and kids.
Sunlight. Get outside, especially if you’re in front of a computer all day. I’m pretty bad at this, but in the warmer months, I try and play outdoor basketball 2-3 times a week.
No caffeine after 1pm. That means no tea, no dark chocolate etc. You’ll sleep better. You shouldn’t drink soft drinks of any sort, so caffeinated drinks like Coke / Diet Coke etc shouldn’t even be on the menu.
Get used to spending a lot of time in the kitchen. I spend probably at least 90 minutes EVERY DAY. There’s really no substitute here for making your own food, knowing all the ingredients. You can get by with a well chosen take away or restaurant meal here and there, but make your own food and you’ll have much better control.
I order my coconut oil in bulk from an eBay seller.
Don’t get too caught up on “rules”, but if I was to highlight the most important ones: don’t eat grains, eat good animal fats and a variety of plants, get good sleep (no late night computing!), workout short and hard.

Sample meals

Salads - so easy, so many variations
Slow roasts - pop a big bit of meat in the oven on 80/90 degrees for 12 hours
Curries/stir fries - exactly the same, just don’t eat rice, or use blended cauliflower instead (doesn’t take long to get used to)
Smoothies - cultured yoghurt, coconut oil, fruit, cinnamon (anti-inflammatory). Lots of possible variations. I also add raw eggs to mine.
Bolognese - make it a bit soupier and forgo the pasta
Omelettes and frittata

Example Snacks

I mostly try to avoid snacks, but I do end up with a small amount of dark choc every day, and usually half a handful of pecans.

activated nuts - soak nuts, then dehydrate them in the oven to remove phytates
non-sugary fruit - kiwi fruit, berries
20g or less of 85% dark choc
celery & almond butter
hard boiled egg
kim chi

Resources & Links

Origin of Energy Lifestyle Tips - if you can visit these guys in Bondi for some sessions, I highly recommend it
Archevore
Mark’s Daily Apple
Health Correlator
Robb Wolf - I’m not actually a fan of Robb’s style, but it may work for you. He is very popular.
Archevore Getting Started guide
Primal Blueprint 101
Wheat, Dietary Fat and Mortality
Art De Vany and Evolutionary Fitness
My primal Pinboard links

Questions?

I’ve no idea if this is interesting or useful, please let me know. Also happy to answer any questions you have.

Freddie - 27 months old

2011-03-08T00:00:00+11:00

Freddie is two and a quarter now. His vocab is through the roof, and while he can still be a little “terrible”, he is also very easy to reason with, so there’s not too many battles. Mostly he is just good company!

One of the developments we’ve been waiting a while for is the “why?” stage, and his take on it is to ask “What’s dis called?” But it’s rather cute really, and doesn’t go too many levels deep (you know, if you answer the “why?” question, you’re likely just to get another why on the back of it!)

Event highlights have included the Forestville trainshow with grandma and grandpa, Stanley’s fifth birthday, lots of swimming dates, and going to bbqs & parties with dad.

Freddie - 26 months old

2011-02-05T00:00:00+11:00

Ahh Freddie, we’ve definitely reached a new stage with you now. Right on cue, you’ve hit the “terrible twos”, and don’t we know about it! You’re still very sweet 90% of the time, but then there’s the other part of the time that you get cranky… and we suddenly become powerless to get you to do anything. Favourite problem times are:

getting you dressed
getting you undressed
going to the car
mealtimes

But you’re still an amazing little guy, and you’ve moved into the toddler room at daycare, so now you get to run around in the big yard EVERY day. Fun! Grace is still your number one girl, and Stanley your stand-in big brother.

Along with your increasing independence, you’re vocabulary and communication are through the roof. Every day you’re telling us new things and stringing longer sentences together. I was quite impressed last week to hear about the caterpillar you’d found. Very good.

Anyway, can’t believe you’re at 26 months already, and 3 is not all that far off. Yikes!

Freddie - now two years old!

2011-01-04T00:00:00+11:00

Gee, it’s been a while since I’ve updated on Freddie. The blog became inaccessible due to Wordpress being a bit finicky, so I’ve swapped over to a more stable and maintainable blog system.

So, in the last six months, a whole lot has happened:

Freddie is more confident on his feet than ever
His best friends are Grace, Maverick and Stanley
He loves playing with older kids (particularly Stanley from next door, Adam from NYE 10/11, and the kids in the toddler room)
And more than ever: words, words, words. Freddie talks so much now. It’s so exciting to hear all the new words he has to tell us.

His second birthday in early December was manic, but also a lot of fun. We held it at home due to weather, and then had almost 50 adults and kids running rampant around the house. Intense. But also really good fun.

Freddie also had a six day bout of hand-foot-mouth disease, which made him very unhappy. Poor little guy, a mouth full of ulcers and feeling miserable all the time. Urgh.

All round, a little champ! We’re very proud of you Freddie, you’re growing up so quickly, and you’re a whole lot of fun!

Love you lots, Mama & Dada

InezGarcia.com

2010-06-22T00:00:00+10:00

Finally, my wife’s portfolio site is live!

Check it out: http://inezgarcia.com

Life of Pi

2010-06-02T00:00:00+10:00

by Yann Martel

An ingenious story of belief and perseverance, the travels of Piscine Patel and Richard Parker were certainly deserving of the Man Booker Prize it won in 2002. Briefly, it talks of the self guided religious start for Pi, and then his mammoth journey on the Pacific from India to places he never expected to see, along with some interesting companions and destinations.

One to hang onto and read again in the future I dare say.

Freddie - 16, 17, 18 months old!

2010-06-02T00:00:00+10:00

Wow, what a whirlwind. Dada started a new role, and uni kicked off for the semester, and suddenly we’ve missed three months of Freddie updates!

Freddie, you’re a little champ more than ever. There’s been many exciting developments, mainly around your increased understanding and ability to communicate. Right now you can say such varied things as ball, ball, and ball. Actually, you say a lot more than that, but you’re so addicted to basketball that it’s all we really hear about. Other bits of vocab include: down, up, gone, cheese, shoes, spoon, bin and animal noises. And you understand probably fifty times what you can say.

You’re loving childcare, and particularly your little buddy Maverick. Having a best bud is quite unusual at this age we’re told. You also love your cousins Tia and Kai, they’re always a lot of fun to hang out with. You’ve also appeared in photo shoots for Country Style and Sunday magazine (having a connected mama pays eh!)

Great fun. Love you lots,

Mama & Dada

Recent Movies

2010-05-21T00:00:00+10:00

Kick Ass - great! Imagine getting the script for this film! It would've seemed like a mess, but they made a brilliant, fun, innovative film. 9/10

The Wizard

2010-03-29T00:00:00+11:00

The Outside Broadcast team has a great post with links to youtube clips of Jeff Mills on radio in Detroit in the mid-80s (when he was known as The Wizard.)

One of my all time heros. So far ahead of the game.

Freddie's Fifteenth Month

2010-03-27T00:00:00+11:00

Freddie,

You’re more a little boy every day, with all the running and yammering and activity. Your favourite word is “up!” (or “ball”, it’s a close race.) You also MUST have a rubber band or two in your hands at all times. You’ll even wake up and start crying if you’ve let go of the rubber band in your sleep.

Possibly the funniest time of day is after dinner each night. You’re energised, but also tired, and you become CRAZY. So much fun, but hard to get you into the bath and off to bed. You get a cheeky, slightly wild look in your eyes. Cheeky little devil.

My favourite new thing is the amount you mimic what we do, including:

holding a hose and making a "pshhh" sound as if watering plants
grabbing a piece of paper towel and running around wiping things down

You’re loving daycare, and Fridays with Grandma.

Looking forward to lots more new experiences with you!

Lots of love, Mum & Dad

4 Years

2010-03-27T00:00:00+11:00